As new transportation means alternative to a bus or a railway, a track transportation system is known in which a vehicle travels on a track with traveling wheels each composed of a rubber tire and guide wheels provided on both sides or at a lower portion of the vehicle are guided by guide rails provided on both sides or at a central portion of the track. Such a track transportation system is generally called a new transportation system or an automated people mover (APM).
Then, a power feeding rail is provided on the side of the track of the track transportation system described above. A pantograph provided on the side of the vehicle faces the power feeding rail and slides in contact with the power feeding rail, whereby power feeding to the vehicle is performed.
Here, in the power feeding rail, an insulating section which is in an insulating state as a separator of a feeding section is installed every several hundred meters between electric train lines electrically conducting to a feeder.
Then, the above-described insulating section is generally made by interposing compressed laminated wood between the electric train lines. However, in such an insulating section, since occurrence of wear, concavity, or the like is significant due to the pantograph sliding in contact therewith, deterioration is early, and thus a replacement frequency increases.
Therefore, in view of such a problem, PTL 1 discloses an insulating section configured by installing electric train lines with an approach plate provided at an end portion so as to be adjacent to each other in a travel direction and disposing the approach plates of the respective electric train lines in a state of being separated from each other. Then, the approach plate is composed of metal or fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) and thus has excellent wear resistance, and therefore, it is possible to attain improvement in maintainability.